I play video games and review them.

Tamagotchi L.I.F.E. (iPhone App Store)

The beloved digital pet from the 90s is back and it’s on your phone. Take care of the little alien and make sure to keep it alive.

Even if you didn’t have a tamagotchi in the 90s, you probably had an equivalent. When I was a kid, I had two giga pets, a cat and a T-Rex. They never lived very long because I had to go to school and I couldn’t take the toys with me. There’s really not much of a plot to these things except an alien came to earth and you have to raise it. However, I will say one thing. While Tamagotchi’s popularity skyrocketed in Japan, it fell out of favor in the U.S. I don’t know if they brought these things to the iPhone to bring back its popularity or to give nostalgic adults like me a taste of their childhood.

The game play is the same as it was on the toy. You press the correct button to meet your Tamagotchi’s needs. If you don’t tend to the creature, it will die. You can pick which Tamagotchi you want between Generation 1 and Generation 2. As you play, you can unlock various wallpaper and shell designs. You also have two choices to play the app. You can play it as an actual app, by pressing the correct icon, or, if you’re feeling really nostalgic, play it in shell mode. In other words, tap the left button until you get to the icon you want and tap the confirm button to select it.

This game is not deep yet addictive. I give it 6 out of 10; you get attached to the Tamagotchi after a while.